His Love
by InsideOutsideWithin2468
Summary: Elijah Mikaelson and OC oneshots
1. Gold

It's gold, the dress she chooses for the Mikaelson ball.

She won't admit it to anyone, but it's something that Elijah says that helps her decide this. He is- she actually isn't sure what it is about Elijah that catches her eye. They're not similar, they both sort of keep to themselves, but she wouldn't call that compatibility.

She knows she likes him, though, which is more than she can say about most the boys in her life. And she appreciates that, appreciates having coffee with someone who doesn't judge her for her lies. (Even if she definitely deserves it).

And he's interesting.

Even if her sister, Bonnie, doesn't approve. Or if Elena and Caroline both mutter 'traitor' under their breath whenever she walks by.

He's helping her with her literature homework, such a simple task really, but whenever her and Elijah are together they never really talk about the what they are, or the supernatural. They just.. talk.

"He's emphasizing rose gold, how it's derived from the Latin word aurum. It means shinning down, or sun, often applied to the goddesses of beauty. He's used that color, deemed her eyes that color because obviously, they're heavenly," Elijah says, confidence never waning, "but, really, he chose that color because she's a stark contrast to his otherwise dark and hopeless outlook. He could have wrote brown, just plain brown. Gold is purposeful. It means something heavenly is coming. It's a promise."

Serena naturally raises an eyebrow, her lips quirking up thoughtfully at the brilliance of Elijah's thought process.

The Bennett tries hard—and it always proves difficult— to keep her eyes from wandering down to Elijah's opened journal, taking in his neat handwriting.

His words are monochromatic, bold and purposeful.

Not once does Serena witness Elijah scratching any of his words out.

Which is, something Serena does habitually. Mistake after mistake, rewrite after rewrite, she never gets it right, always has to reiterate it on the page.

So when she sees the dress, the one that isn't too yellow, or too sparkly, or too overwhelming. The one that makes her brown skin glow and is Gold. She doesn't hesitate.

* * *

Later that week, at the ball. Fresh off another fight with Bonnie about dopplegangers, and Salvatore's, and sacrifices, when Serena's just freshly snapped at Elena—passive-aggressiveness has always been her forte, her mechanism— and she walks away and straight into Elijah, she yearns to tell him:

"I didn't wear just gold, this color means something, Elijah. And I'm begging you to notice. Please notice, because you-, you notice everything."

Something along those lines.

Serena never utters those words, never finds the strength to allow the plea to pass her throat.

She's frustrated, because what are these feelings, firstly, but—really— what is she going to do with them? When will they finally be released, finally directed at the man in a harmless and productive way?

Like a wildfire, anger seeps through her chest.

It's why Serena slaps Elijah, because now everything's ruined, everything she's ever been certain of, everything she'd once bet her life on, is casually, rightly wronged by Elijah.

She hates that she's wrong, hates that that makes Elijah right.

"Your beauty always captures me, Serena," echoes in her head, loud and sure, until Serena isn't sure of anything but what Elijah lends.

"But you're a lot more than that."

It satiates, soothes, her devastation evaporates.

Elijah always sees the underlying meaning of things, and although Serena's mind isn't tuned to that way of thinking, she finds herself entertaining just how superficial her outlook may have been. Elijah's words are refreshing; the opinions of others don't mean a thing, not really. Not when the truth is much larger, for the truth cannot be threatened.

* * *

Much later that night, about midnight, Damon (her ride) is m.i.a., and Serena is moping around outside.

Most of everyone has made their way out of the mansion and into their cars, happily heading to afterparties, still buzzing with the lingering magic of this night.

There's a thin layer of sweat over Serena's body from the dancing, and though she hasn't had a single drink tonight, she feels a warmth in her belly, a fire starting in her heart.

She's making a bee-line for the sidewalk as she clutches her heels, her purse, in her hands, when Elijah's voice meets her ears.

This time it's real, real Elijah, not the Elijah living comfortably in her head.

"Serena? Are you walking home?"

She flinches at this, eyes tired and posture pathetic. But she halts altogether, waits for Elijah's footsteps to reach her, until the man is standing just a few safe steps away, eyes calm and waiting.

"Yeah," Serena says thinly. "My ride left already."

At this a frown marks his features. His displeasure obvious.

There's something new rising in his dark eyes, in the way he slides them across Serena, looking at the strong lines of her jaw and then down to the strength at the turns of her neck.

Elijah appears truly awestruck, seemingly searching for a Serena that's familiar beneath all the foreign layers, and its as if he's tallying every new addition with his gaze, contemplating each and every one. Because that's what Elijah does, he seeks, yearns to understand. Serena especially.

It's kind of exhilarating, the whole stare down, and the girl has to remind herself that she really shouldn't care—she's not that girl anymore—about this, whatever it is.

"Can I offer you a ride home, if you don't mind it, of course?"

Serena just stares at him in disbelief, mocking him a bit when she repeats his words back to him, "if I don't mind it," she says just above a whisper, shaking her head. "Elijah, I slapped you tonight, and you're asking if I'll be comfortable riding home in your car with you?"

"Yes, actually. Is that not-"

"I don't-" Serena starts, fighting the urge to look away as Elijah holds her gaze, brown eyes as gentle and expectant as ever, "you aren't uncomfortable with my riding with you?"

"Why would I be uncomfortable?"

"Because I hurt you, Elijah."

Serena's voice is raw, thick with emotion, and Elijah's lips part ever so slightly at the sound.

"I know," Elijah says, faintly, "and I'd rather you not do that again, of course, but it was never about me, was it? I heard what Ms. Gilbert said to you. I heard what Damon Salvatore implied about you. You had to let that anger release somewhere."

It does help. A little, but Serena doesn't tell him that.

* * *

The ambience of Elijah's car is serene. It's impossibly tidy (excessively clean.) Serena can vaguely smell Elijah's shampoo—vegan probably, coconut possibly—lingering in the compact air.

"Oh my god," the girl says, good-naturedly, and majorly because it bubbles up her throat and out of her mouth before she can stop it, "I can't win tonight, can I."

Serena watches as Elijah smiles apologetically. She's counting on a response from the original, a carefully articulated one at that, and: "I think you'd thrive inevitably. Maybe your definition of winning has been thwarted over time... maybe winning is much simpler than you think."

She stares expectantly at Elijah, urging him to continue to sate every unanswered question, every untimely desire, every loss and loose end in her mind. Her eyes trace over the planes of Elijah's face, quickly mapping out the curve of his jaw, the eyelash that's made a home on his cheek, "Yeah."

Elijah suddenly looks like he's about to apologize, (Serena really should have known better than to reply with a single syllable) and he ventures to reiterate, reply, sighing softly, "I'm sorry if I've overstepped. I tend to elucidate."

Serena knows that (all too well) but she really just-

"I like it when you do," is said without a trace of malice. Frankly, it's uttered with that same thinly veiled longing and Serena honestly can't believe it originated from her own mouth.

The Mikaelson doesn't tear his eyes away from her, pausing momentarily to purse her lips in thought, "You do?"

"Yeah, you're never... wrong about me."

Elijah's eyes restore with light, a barely-there smile on his cheeks that Serena's able to tally (bask in) even in the dimly lit car, "I also have a tendency to pay attention," Elijah adds, pulling his lips into a grin finally. And he looks so happy to have just learned of a truth that has always wrecked her.

It virtually forces all the breath out of her. Puts everything into a perspective so clear, Serena's tired eyes, inner lenses, are suddenly wiped clean, made new. She could never win, not really, not when she never knew what winning really was, really felt like. Elijah makes her feel like she's absolute and without missing parts, like she's whole already.

"Oh, I know."

* * *

Later, when they're pulling into the Bennett driveway, Elijah compliments her dress in finality, says, "That shade of gold looks stunning on you, Serena."

That same voice sounds like a promise, something lingering and hopeful, something like gold.

* * *


	2. Broken heart

Everything changes on Thursday.

"Good evening," she greets first, speaking low and rushed. She has always looked at Serena differently. Probably because she is Abby's teenage pregnancy. A bastard. Her father is unknown and Serena was just the child she dragged into her marriage with Rudy.

"Hi."

There is hesitation in her voice. She aches with it.

"Where were you?" she asks, which gives the younger Bennett a pause.

"With a friend." _Elijah._

Abby presses her lips together. "We need to talk to you about your... friend."

Serena lets out a long-suffering sigh and leans against the counter, bringing the bottle of vitamin water to her lips. Taking a long drag, swallow and then leveling her with a glare that would make anyone flinch. "Which... friend?"

"I suppose that is a valid question," Abby says; "because it seems all you do is spend time with those... originals."

"Why do you care?"

"I am your mother."

Mother.

A mother was one who loved before ever even seeing their child.

"And we both know you wish you weren't."

They fall into charged silence, and Abby's eyes don't stray from Serena's face. She's so tempted to look away, but she doesn't. Try as she might, Serena is not backing down. The young Bennett may be battered and bruised from years with this woman and this family, but she won't let it beat her now.

"Why do you insist on doing this?" Abby eventually asks, breaking into the impasse.

"Doing what?"

"Going against your kind," she says. "You know that associating with them will stain you."

And Serena just stood there. So achingly beautiful. Yet Abby's arms did not ache to hold her, like her heart told her they should.

"Is that what your spirits tells you?"

"It's what everyone's spirits tells us," she snaps. "Why must you associate with them?"

"They are my friends."

"Don't stand there and lie to me," she hisses. "I know he's not," she says, and Serena swallow audibly. "That man is not your _friend_. Don't you think I see? Don't you think I hear the two of you?"

She says nothing. What can she say? It's not at all like what Abby is saying...but it's not innocent either.

"I don't want him in this house," she says. "I forbid you to spend time with him. With them. I won't have this family looked upon with disgust because of your choices. Don't you think you've already brought about enough shame?"

"Shame," Serena echos, heart twisting. "Shame? You think I'm the one who's brought shame to this family? Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

And the anger is building and building, and her eyes burn so badly. All she wants is to scream or never speak again and either option would convey what she felt so thoroughly.

"Stop acting like a child," Abby growls every word enunciated with a step forward.

"How the hell would you know what I was like as a child?! You weren't around then."

"When did you become so disrespectful."

The worst part is that it hurts. She still hates how much she can be hurt by her mother, she hates the part of her that will always want her parents approval, she hates knowing that she will never get it.

"Probably around the same time you stopped talking to me," Serena coos back. "Isn't that funny? You made me this way."

And she should've seen it coming, truly. But it catches her off guard. The slap is violent and hot and her cheek throbs under the pressure as her face is turned towards the furtherst wall. One of Abby's rings digging into her skin to create a slice upon her upper cheekbone.

Blood mixes in with her tears and it stings as much as it soothes.

"Do you even care that I almost died?" Serena asks suddenly. "Or would you rather I did so you could finally get rid of me?"

Abby just stares. A blank empty stare. Ignoring the question before which somehow hurts even more. "What about Bonnie's opinion?" she asks, her tone cold and calculated.

God why does this woman have so much power over her, why does it hurt so deeply.

"Her opinion of me is my issue to deal with," Serena says; "not yours."

"What about this town?"

"What about this town?" Serena counters. "This town doesn't know me and, even if they did, why should it matter to me?"

She looks lost for words for a moment.

"Why shouldn't it matter?" she suddenly snaps. "You are a Bennett."

"Stop that," Serena whimpers. "Stop trying to claim me when you know I haven't been a Bennett since the first time you looked at me and decided I would forever be a disappointment."

Again, she doesn't have the words.

Until she says, "Serena."

And it's probably the first time Abby Bennett has said her name in years. It catches the girl off guard and for a moment all she wants is to be held, but then she remembers.

"No," The younger Bennett whispers. "There is nothing you can do. Kick me out, freeze me out, try and beat it out of me, do your worst Abby. I've been a disappointment the moment I was born. This isn't new. Truly what did you expect? I received nothing from you, from Rudy. No love. No compassion. Nothing."

And when Serena turns to leave her chest nearly caves in when Abby doesn't care enough to stop her.

* * *

Elijah Mikaelson knew himself. Knew his vices, knew he had a near fatal tendency to get attached to the wrong people- willingly or otherwise.

But he was a stubborn ass, who was used to having to scratch, claw, and fight for what he wanted.

And ever since he'd taken a look at a pretty-faced Serena Bennett with golden eyes hidden by circular glasses – with a head of chocolate curls and a sultry accent hiding behind clipped, white-washed speech, he'd wanted.

It wasn't a good idea.

It would probably end in blood – though whose remained to be seen.

Elijah, however, wasn't one for moderation, having lived too long during his formative years with a ticking clock in the back of his mind.

As a result, he'd guarded what little joy in life that he found jealously – and viciously.

Elijah lived fast and hard, he took predators as his prey, and he wasn't often surprised.

Well until a drunk Serena Bennett stumbled on his doorstep with wide tearful eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Can I sleep here?" She slurred. stumbling forward as she tripped on a step. Elijah moved forward, bracing her body against his to keep her from falling face first.

"You don't drink." Elijah said simply. Because he paid attention. He knew Serena believed the way her father behaved under the influence was...less than appropriate, so she had sworn off the substance. To see her drunk...is- "Are you alright, Serena?"

He sounds as if he's very far away, rippling and muffled like someone submerged underwater.

"Yes…no," she replies, her voice stretched taut with pain. "It's my head." She can see what looks like a long shadow flowing across the room and realises Elijah is walking towards her.

"Serena-"

"I don't feel like I'm alive anymore."

Elijah pauses, his muscles pulling tight beneath his skin.

"Haven't for a while really, but it's worse now."

Gentle concern crashed into his eyes, but he made no movement to show it. "Does every interaction feel forged? Fake?"

She sighs, but doesn't look at him. "Life feels...improbable. I don't know how I made it through. Makes me wonder if I really did die."

The implication gives him a pause. "Are you clinging to death for comfort while you hover within your life? Is this a matter of feeling like you were dead, or simply wishing you were and struggling to accept it?"

She shurgs as if either way it doesn't matter.

Her cheek is swollen and a cut lines there.

Elijah feels a flare of anger.

"Who hurt you?"

"Who doesn't hurt me?" Serena replies back, and Elijah can't help but feel taken aback and hurt. Although he really shouldn't be. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

She is calm.

Too calm.

Elijah immediately doesn't like it. Serena has always been explosive, her feelings running deep and expressive.

He invites her in and she smiles a smile that dosen't touch her eyes.

* * *

It isn't until a few days later that Elijah notices the slight shift in the way Serena sits. As a girl who prides herself on perfect posture, the almost infinitesimal slump in her shoulders takes the Original by surprise. She places great importance on her appearance and her elegance, and this change throws Elijah immensely.

So does the slight thinning of Serena.

She seems to get smaller (as if she wasn't already dangerously tiny) with each day that passes, and Elijah can't tell if it's her actual body that's shrinking or her essence.

Both.

But, the biggest change - at least to Elijah's eye - is the way Serena Bennett looks at him. It's almost as if she's asking a question she can't voice, searching for an answer neither of them can handle.

"Serena is she behaving differently to you?"

"I don't know her," Rebekah shurgs her shoulders. "Surprised you aren't asking about your precious doppleganger, we all know you have an...obsession with them." Her smile is viscious and Elijah can see the cruel glint in her icy eyes.

A sigh, "Rebekah-"

"Although I've heard from the grapevine she's been kicked out. Wonder where she lives nowadays."

Elijah wants to berate her. How can anyone - just sweep Serena's clearly evident sadness under the rug as if it means nothing? It has to mean something. The girl has been through a plethora of things that even some hardened veterans would struggle with. Abandonment, lonliness, and now homelessness.

Is she bouncing from house to house, feeling unwanted? Unsure of whether she is going to sleep in someone's reluctant bed or the backseat of her freezing car? To have everything ripped out from under you with no means to fall back on.

That all just brings him to his next point.

_Why didn't she come to him?_

_How could she not come to him?_

Just thinking about it all makes Elijah angry. The mere fact that Serena is still here and still fighting means something.

So Elijah pays attention to the changes in her. He watches the way the Salvatore's and Elena and Caroline and even Bonnie seem to forget about her. And it's sobering that no one can see how painfully unhappy she is. Because really, someone as young as her deserves to smile.

She also reads endlessly. It's as if she's reading a new book every day.

She's quiet and calm and she exists in the background to the drama of Mystic Falls. It's almost as if she's trying to make herself invisible; trying to disappear into nothing.

It's heartbreaking, and Elijah is not going to let that happen.

It takes Damon making a comment about his 'pretty little useful Bennett witch' for Elijah to figure out what'sreallygoing on. The Serena of old would probably berate him, say something, anything. She would huff in annoyance, mutter something snarky or even roll her eyes.

But, this Serena says and does nothing. She just gives him a look, and then returns to her book, her fists clenched.

* * *

When he figures it out, Elijah doesn't necessarily know what to do with the information. What can he do? Serena is falling apart right in front of them and nobody is bothered enough to look. To notice and do something.

Briefly, he considers approaching Rudy. But he seems to enjoy her absence, the calm it brings and it makes Elijah want to remove his head.

Better yet, Bonnie is the perfect person to talk to about this… surely.

Well.

Probably not.

No.

Next, he contemplates asking Elena Gilbert about it. She and Serena may not be close anymore - were they ever? - but she must have inside knowledge on what makes the older Bennett sister tick. But, even Elijah has to admit that nobody has a handbook on this particular version of the girl. She's new to all of them, and nobody has bothered to get to know her.

Which is why Elijah takes matters into his own hands.

She is sitting at the Grill, alone, when he approaches.

"It's a lovely day today, isn't it?" And he is not lying. The air is relatively warm for this time of year and the sun is beaming.

Serena practically startles at the greeting and fumbles with her book. She blinks a few times, those perfectly long eyelashes lookingheavy. "Oh, hello, Elijah," she says quietly, recovering. "It is nice out." Her eyes go to the window and she looks like she just noticed there was a world around her.

Their conversation is filled with metaphors and philosophy, Serena has always had a brilliant mind, yearning for more knowledge. That's why she surpassed Bonnie in technical applicability of magic. While the younger Bennett was a force of nature that tired out quickly, Serena's magic was more of the subtle variety.

He appreciates having a conversation with someone without having to dull down his vocabulary or intellect. He's always prided herself on choosing to surround himself with people who challenge him.

Admittedly, it's been difficult to do in this town, the calibre of Mystic Falls was nowhere near noteworthy, but he gets surprised sometimes.

She has always been a surprise to him.

For whatever reason, Elijah has always admired her.

Especially now.

Particularly now.

When the doppleganger and the rest of them enter it's no surprise they get looks. He is a professional at appearing unbothered. Serena is still learning.

Her shoulders slump slightly and it looks as if she mentally prepares herself for what's to come. It's disconcerting, and Elijah doesn't know what to do or say. She looks... disinterested? Dissatisfied?

Something.

What can he do without sending this Bambi running and screaming into the world and learning about its cruelty? His sudden and inane need to protect Serena catches him by surprise, but he's determined not to hide away from it.

"I have something for you."

Her eyebrows raise and then furrow, it looks so much like the old Serena that he finds himself charmed. "What is it?"

He tilts his head. His eyes darkening.

"Come by the mansion and I'll show you."

"What time?"

"Seven."

Hazel eyes lock on chestnut brown, and the two of them stare at each other for the longest time. It's a charged moment, and yet so simple. Serena almost knows what Elijah is doing: trying to give her a purpose; a reason to stay.

"I'll be there."

* * *

And she is there.

Elijah takes her to a hidden library deep in the woods. And it's so beautiful and ancient and wonderful.

The smile that curves her lips make Elijah want to give her any and everything.

* * *

This time, when the changes start, everyone notices.

Elijah begins to sit next to Serena everyday always making time for her. They almost always end up holding hands, which raises eyebrows the first few times, but neither of them seems to care because it's innocent comfort to them. They even brave entwining their fingers, which perfectly fit into the spaces the other provides.

Elijah starts to feel as if he is almost holding onto Serena, keeping her from floating away.

He won't let her unravel right in front of their eyes.

He won't let her fade away.

They talk sometimes, trying to outdo each other with words and facts. Serena opens up about the books she reads, and Elijah just likes to hear her talk. There's something wonderfully melodious about the sound of her speaking voice, swimming through the air and filling the Original's ears with a certain kind of music he's irritated he never noticed before.

Maybe it's because, before now, Serena's words were spoken with harshness and displaced hatred, and now they're affectionate, almost like a caress.

Serena usually walks alone, her head in a book or her eyes downcast. She just seems so small, like a lost child that Elijah feels the need to protect and nurture in some way. His desire to stop Serena's regression into…something starts to take over most of his free time.

When he isn't busy with Niklaus, he's with her. Most of the time, they just study for whatever college exam she has coming up. (Math is her weak spot, which Elijah always ends up helping her with) Serena's focus is paramount when it comes to her schoolwork, and she's a calming influence on Elijah.

The problem is well...Niklaus.

His brother doesn't understand his need, sees Serena as a tool and has no problem implying such directly to the girl. He insults her with great regularity and Elijah tries to shield her from it, but with her moving in to the Mikaelson manner it is impossible.

It happens out of nowhere.

Niklaus always had a tendency to lash out at the closest person when hurt.

Serena was unlucky in that regard.

"Leave before you ruin my brother."

She flinched and Elijah surged forward.

Elijah argued fiercely that night.

But there was no mistaking that brokenness in her gaze.

* * *

"I'm sorry," she whispers, and Elijah just steps into her, practically shielding her.

"Don't," he says, shaking his head. "It's not you."

"Itis."

"It's my choice."

"Something happened today."

"Something happens every day," Serena mutters back.

"But, I learned something new about you," He says.

"You learn something new about me every day."

Elijah stills Serena's shaking fingers by taking hold of her hands and bringing them down into his lap.

"Do you know what it feels like to be afraid of your own mind?" she asks after the longest silence, and he doesn't have a response for her. "To know and feel things that aren't quite okay?"

Elijah can't say he does know what that feels like, but he knows that's not what Serena wants to hear. She wants to hear that it is okay, but Elijah can't give her the confirmation she wants without knowing what it is.

She sighs. "I was going to quit living in Mystic Falls, just up and leave," she admits.

"I had a feeling," Elijah murmurs.

Serena lets out a slow breath, decidedly not looking at him. "I was… going to… quit... life."

Despite his already-made conclusions about this particular unspoken topic, Elijah still sucks in a sharp breath. It's one thing to assume, and an entirely different thing to hear it confirmed. "I had a feeling about that as well."

"Every single day has been this endless struggle of trying to figure out who I am again. I hated myself before, during and after my mother. I hate myself still, but it's more bearable now."

"Serena," Elijah whispers, wishing she wouldn't say such things.

"It's oddly freeing to be stripped of everything," she says. "Your image, your family, your relationships, your home and your sense of self. And then it's even more terrifying to realise you're left with absolutely nothing because you're nothing."

"Serena."

"Do you know what it's like?" she asks, rhetorically. "To look in the mirror of your basement, alone and in the dark, and see yourself as nothing?" She wipes at tears that are suddenly falling. "She's the only reason I even tried," she says, clearly referring to Bonnie. "So are you."

Elijah does his best not to react, even though the only thing he wants to do is fling his arms around Serena and hold her close, protect her and love her.

"I want to protect you and make sure you stay," he confesses. "I won't have you quitting life, Serena. I won't let you, and that requires time. It requires me to be here. So, I won't let you go. Not if I can do something about it, and I like to think I would do anything and everything required to make sure I get to keep you. Everybody else and everything else doesn't matter."

"Elijah," she breathes, finally looking at him. "I don't want you to have to make sacrifices for me."

"I'm not sacrificing anything," he immediately says, trying to ignore the fact that Serena hasn't declared that she's staying. She hasn't said much to ease Elijah's worries at all. "This is a conscious choice I've made to put you first and you will have to accept it."

"Why?"

"Why what, Serena?"

"Why do you even care?" Her eyes drop. "I'm Serena Bennett. No one cares about me for no good reason."

"I'm Elijah Mikaelson and I don't need a reason to love anyone."


End file.
